In Praise of Grocery Store Flowers!

I try not to take things for granted in my life. Although it’s inevitable at times…because it’s inherent in our human natures. But I do TRY…because I have experienced enough heartache in my life to realize everything we have is fragile and unpredictable. So appreciating each and every one of life’s “moments”(whatever those may be) is, in my opinion, a highly desirable way to live life.

And what, do you ask, does this have to do with grocery store flowers? EVERYTHING!

Today my husband Dave….(you know…I have never been fond of the word “husband”. Say it over and over, slowly, it’s a WEIRD word, right? HUZ – band. I’ve got to come up with another title for my…….Dave. lol. I almost typed “spouse”….and I dislike that word even MORE! And don’t get me started on “mate”. lol! That must be why The Pioneer Woman calls her “guy” Marlboro Man. MUCH better! Ok….I’ll work on that.)

OK…where was I? Sorry, my mind tends to go off on tangents like that.

Today DAVE went to the grocery store to buy ribs for his weekend smoker adventure (pretty much the only time he sets foot in a grocery store), and returned with a lovely bouquet of cellophane wrapped flowers. To his endless credit, he has done this for YEARS! One of our favorite sayings around here is “We may not have much money, but we sure do eat good!” And, we sure do have pretty things…even if they do come from the grocery store.

So for years I have been happily accepting my grocery store bouquets and with a little time and love…turned them into a happy focal point of the house. I’m pretty efficient at it now. I didn’t say GOOD…I said efficient. So I thought I would share my little process with you.

1. Grab a vase, fill with slightly warm water, take advantage of that little flower food packet that comes with the bouquet, and dump it in.

2. Using some scissors, slice up the side of the cellophane, cutting through the rubber bands, and lay the flowers out flat.

3. Using your scissors, clip off an inch or two of the bottom of each stem, on an angle. This helps the flowers to absorb the most amount of water.

4. I also take off most of the leaves on the stems since most are already mushed and soggy from being in the cellophane anyway. You don’t want any of the leaves sitting in the water.

5. Starting with the biggest flowers (the sunflowers here), place them in the vase first. Then I usually add the “fillers” stuff and finally the most delicate flowers.

Optional (but cute): cut off a couple yards of twine and wrap it several times around the vase and finish with a bow.

Tada! A little piece of sunshiney happiness on my scarred, old kitchen table. One of life’s little moments….I hope I never take for granted. :-)